A/N: Hey, thanks guys, for wishing me luck at Columbia. But the program's next year, so I'll be free to continue this fic over the summer. Well, I'll try. I still have to take a few online courses over the summer. Apparently, they look good on my college application. (As if getting into Columbia didn't look good enough!)

So yeah, if the updates ever take too long, you guys can blame my parents for raising me to be an overachiever. : ]

"Chad Dylan Cooper," my lawyer, Nikita, suddenly said my name as if she'd just realized something.

"Do you realize that you're "Hollywood's Hottest Hearthrob," and this is your first time being married?" The air quotes she put around the Triple H seemed to mock me for some reason. That was the name given to me by almost every celebrity magazine, and it was a constant source of fuel for my already-massive ego. But now, it seemed a bit condescending, like a toy you loved when you were a kid that made people laugh when they realized you still had it.

I just shrugged. "I'm surprised," she mused. Her slight Russian accent seemed to grow thicker with each word she spoke. "Well, I hope it works out," she said, pushing her thick black glasses up the bridge of her nose. I had no idea what to say to that. Nikita and I had just spent the last hour—or hours, I didn't even have time to check the time—discussing the legal marriage stuff. Apparently, we couldn't get a divorce unless both people signed the papers. I knew I wasn't going to sign them, at least not yet. But how to keep Sonny from biting my head off in the meantime, that was the question…

"Well, you have a nice day, Mr. Cooper," Nikita's sharp lawyer-like voice scattered my thoughts, and I realized I was free to go.

"Oh!" I said hastily, picking up my jacket. I must've looked like an idiot. "Thanks again. You too, Nikita," I said quickly. She looked up from her papers and glared at me. Her face looked dark under the shadow of her raven-haired updo. "Uh, Nikki…" I corrected myself before closing the door gently behind me. I never understood why she didn't let me call her by her full name.

I walked out of her office and hurried to my limo, instantly regretting bringing the black one. It must've heated up like crazy by now. I felt the sun beating down on me as I crossed the empty parking lot. I cursed under my breath at the fact that I had to wear a suit when it was like, ninety degrees out. I felt instantly relieved when I opened the limo door and felt the cool blast of air whooshing out of the vents. I hesitantly told my driver to take me back to Sonny's apartment. But more than anything, I really wanted to go back to my place and change. I felt like I hadn't been at my mansion in ages. Right now, the indoor pool sounded like heaven to me.

Groaning, I kicked at a duffel bag to give myself some more leg room and put my head in my hands. I hadn't even had time to drop off all my luggage from Paris. Basically, when I'd gotten Tawni's call, I'd rushed right over to the bar in Vegas. But let me back up just a bit…

...

My plane had just landed from Paris, and my castmates and I were pacing around the LA airport trying to call our limo drivers and avoid the paparazzi at the same time. We were also trying to avoid each other. After spending five years together, we were pretty much ready to pull each other's hair out. Nobody wanted to admit it, but that was the reason we hadn't taken the private jet. We had all opted to sit in a huge plane with a bunch of other people, as far away from each other as possible.

I was about to go straight home, until I got a call from Tawni, of all people. I was surprised she still had my number. I didn't know what to think of that. Figuring it must be important, I picked up.

"Hey, I hear you're back from Paris!" Her shrill voice echoed through my phone.

"Yeah, just got back today…" I wondered where she was going with this.

"Bet ya missed Sonny, right?" her tone sounded a little scornful, like she was sneering at me. I didn't even know how to answer that. Of course I had. But why did she wanna know?

"Uh, I guess," I replied cautiously. Wow, that was an understatement.

"Well, she missed you too. Oh, and she just broke up with James…" she trailed off.

"O-kay…" I didn't know what to say next. Was she trying to set us up or something? I mean, I'd missed her at first, but now I'd gotten completely over her. I remembered hearing about Sonny's engagement to James on E! news and being completely heartbroken. There was no way I was going back to her after everything she'd put me through.

"Anyway, she said something about going to the Planet Hollywood bar, in case you wanted to stop by and talk to her…you know, if you're in the neighborhood." I could practically hear her smirking though the phone.

Suddenly all my hatred and pent-up anger toward Sonny seemed to melt away. I wanted to see her now more than ever. I didn't really want to start a relationship, but seeing her again might do me some good.

Maybe if I could just talk to her, laugh with her, then give her a hug goodbye; I would finally be able to forgive her for all those sleepless nights of agony in Paris and move on. And if she could forgive me for being such an idiot before I left, that'd be even better. Then I could live the rest of my life without feeling guilty about that.

"Oh, we're in Las Vegas, by the way." Tawni clarified, interrupting my thoughts.

"Gee, thanks for the heads-up," I mumbled sarcastically. How did she expect me to get all the way from LA to Vegas and Sonny would still be there?

"Fine, you don't have to come if you don't want to. But she's about to get really drunk. I just thought she should have someone with her. You know, so she doesn't do anything stupid that she might regret."

"So why can't you go with her?" I asked warily. I could feel myself starting to cave. Just the thought of some idiot taking advantage of a really drunk Sonny was enough to make my teeth clench.

"Because…well, see, I met this guy here, and he's so amazing!" I sighed. I could picture her flipping her hair as she talked.

"His name is Ronnie," she squealed and went on, completely oblivious to the fact that I didn't give a rat's squiggly ass.

"So like, he's a guitar player and yeah…" she trailed off, probably sensing my impatience.

"Well, to make a long story short, he's coming home with me tonight. So we're gonna leave now. And everyone else already left when they heard the wedding was cancelled. But don't worry, I'm sure Sonny will be just fine by herself. See ya!" And with that, she hung up before I could get out a single 'but.'

That manipulative bitch! Tawni knew I wouldn't want anyone to take advantage of Sonny, so she'd decided to call me and make me go all the way to Vegas and watch Sonny just so she could go home and shack up with her new boyfriend. Or whatever he was.

Manipulative bitch or not, I knew I had to be there for Sonny. Tawni sure as hell wasn't gonna do it. She'd probably expect me to be halfway there by now. But it would take at least five hours to drive to Vegas, and then I'd probably be too late. I panicked. Now what the hell was I supposed to do?

...

The receptionist must've seen me frantically pacing around the airport, because she stopped and stared at me. "Hey, aren't you Chad Dylan Cooper?" she asked in a friendly voice.

"That's me," I replied, popping my collar and getting temporarily distracted by the perky blonde in front of me.

"Hi, I'm Linda! I love you as Mackenzie on your show," she giggled and hooked a blond curl around her index finger.

"Thanks," I mumbled, trying to smile. But my mind had gone back into the "Sonny"-zone, which was more of a dark, depressing zone.

She started rambling on about how much she loved my latest movie, and I pretended to listen.

"Well, anyways," she seemed to realize that I looked preoccupied and caught herself. "We're glad you decided to fly with Northwest airlines today. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you." She flashed me a blindingly white smile. It was amazing how she managed to sound so professional yet slightly suggestive at the same time. That was when it hit me.

"Actually, could you put me on the next flight to Las Vegas, please?" I asked smoothly. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought before. I was in an airport and the thought of flying there had never even crossed my mind. Really, me, really?

"Uh, sure…" she faltered. Her dark brows creased slightly, and I could tell she was upset.

"Somethin' wrong?" I had to ask. I hated how thinking of Sonny made me go all soft.

The girl's glossy pink lips seemed to be somewhere between a pout and a half-smile. "Nothing, it's just that I was kinda hoping you were free tonight. I heard that you broke up with Camilla when you left Paris, so I thought maybe I'd ask you out," she looked at me hopefully with those big brown eyes (hey, just like Sonny…oh shit, Sonny…) I shook the thought from my head. Tempting, but no.

"Sorry, it's kind of an emergency. But hey, maybe I'll be free Friday night," I winked. What the heck, why not? It's not like I was planning to ask Sonny out or anything…

After giving the girl my number, I raced down the escalator (not as fun as it sounds when you're shoving past people) and told my limo driver to take my luggage and drive to the Planet Hollywood bar in Vegas as fast as he could to pick me up. He was not pleased. At least, I didn't think he was shouting any happy words as I raced back up and caught the flight to Vegas just in time.

On the fifty-five minute flight, I couldn't help but wonder how Sonny was doing. I knew she'd be crushed over her right-before-the-wedding breakup, but show did she feel about me? Would she still be mad at me? Would she even wanna talk to me? What if seeing her again would make me spiral into another period of depression?

Boy, was I glad I'd made a date with that cute receptionist earlier. Or was she an air hostess? Whatever. Either way, I'd have someone else to go to. There was no way I was gonna let Sonny break my heart again. Plus, Lindsey was really sweet and she seemed so eager (not to mention nervous) to go out with me, so why not? …Hmm, her name was Lindsey, right? Great. I'd already forgotten her name. But still, this was good. Now that I have someone else, I won't feel the burning desire to reconcile with Sonny when I saw her. She'd hurt me enough for one lifetime.

...

As soon as I got off the plane, I took a cab (see that? I didn't even bother waiting for a limo) straight to the Planet Hollywood bar. As soon as I got to the door, I felt my stomach drop with nervousness and guilt at the thought of seeing Sonny again after so many years.

I made my way inside, going past all the models in slinky cocktail dresses (that I normally would've ogled) and looked around for the one person that had made my life hell for the past five years. I was running out of luck. It was a huge elegant hotel bar, and Sonny was nowhere to be found.

Lady Gaga's Alejandro was plaing softly in the background. Don't wanna kiss, don't wanna touch...

I hustled past some Ryan Seacrest look-alike in a Nigahiga "fatality" shirt, probably something he thought was funny. …Hmm, he seemed like a So Random fan. Maybe he knew where Sonny was.

"Hey dude, have you seen Sonny Monroe here?" I asked, grabbing his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, check the bar stools in the back corner. But she looked pissed, so I wouldn't ask for an autograph until she's drunk. She looked really hot, though!" he chuckled.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes.

I headed to the back of the bar and braced myself. There she was, sitting on the red leather bar stool under the glow of the crystal chandelier. She looked absolutely angelic, even though she was gulping down a shot of God-knows-what.

Her gorgeous dark locks were now straight and flowed in perfect layers down her back. She was wearing a dark purple halter dress (thank God she'd changed out of her wedding gown) and she looked drunkenly pleased yet totally wistful. Maybe now wasn't the best time to talk to her…

I could feel myself chickening out. But then she looked right at me and squinted, probably doing a double take and trying to see if it was really me. My heart nearly flipped right out of my chest. There was no turning back now. I put on my confident face and gave her a little wave.

"Sonny? Is that you? Wow, you look incredible!" Might as well start off with a compliment, even though I had no idea how she'd take it. I almost feared her response. I expected her to lash out at me, but her face was actually half-smiling.

"Well, you look…hold on, stand still," she slurred. My heart sank. She was already drunk. No wonder she was being so nice to me. But still, I had to keep talking to her. She needed me. And I needed her to keep being nice to me, so I could convince myself I was forgiven and get her out of my head.

"So, here we are," I began nervously, sitting on a bar stool next to hers.

"Yeahhh…can you believe it? Of all the places in the world, here we are, at the same time…" she trailed off with this faraway look in her eyes.

"Um, yeah. Crazy, huh?" Well, it wasn't exactly fate. But still…

Then she turned and looked me in the eyes for the first time in five years. Wow…I'd never realized how deep those eyes were. Maybe I had, but now I didn't remember. Not to sound overly cheesy, but I felt like a blind man looking into the sun for the first time. Okay, never mind, that did sound cheesy.

"Wow, Chad, you're still so pretty," she sighed. My heart started to race again. Get a hold of yourself, Chad, she's drunk! Why did I have to keep reminding myself that?

I could've said the same thing about her, and so much more. But no, I came here to talk. I wasn't gonna hit on her while she was drunk.

"Yeah, well, everything's prettier when you drink, right?" I laughed nervously.

She laughed too. Then we decided to share a little martini…okay, maybe not so little. The glass was the size of my head, (go ahead, make fun) and came with two straws. We gulped it down in mere minutes. Anddd I don't remember much after that. I was drunk, she was even more drunk, and we were actually having a good time. We were laughing, reminiscing, and just enjoying each other's company.

By the time that monster martini had started to wear off just a little bit, I noticed I had the plastic umbrella from our drink behind my ear. I couldn't remember who had put it there, me or Sonny. Suddenly, I thought I heard Justin Bieber performing live in the hotel, but it was just the TV in the corner.

Somebody had changed the channel to Tween Weekly TV, and the kid's still-squeaky voice was pouring out of the speakers. They were doing an interview, asking about the girls in his life. When they asked about Taylor Swift, he claimed that she was "too old and definitely too tall for him." I rolled my eyes, grunting in disbelief.

"Oh no! Now all his older fans are gonna go breakin' off their legs so they don't scare him away!" I couldn't help myself. That little cupcake is just so easy to make fun of!

Sonny laughed and leaned against my shoulder. Justin Bieber went on about how Miley Cyrus just wasn't his type. Sonny rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, like she'd really dump Liam or whatever trophy guy she has at the moment and go rushing right over to him if he said she was his type," Sonny tossed down another martini. Wow. She was funny even when she was drunk! She finished with a huge "ahhh" and looked at me with glazed-over eyes and a content smile on her pretty face. Then just out of the blue, she popped the question.

...

"Will you marry me?"

And at that moment, every ounce of rational thinking I had just went out the window. I had absolutely no inkling that this wasn't a very good idea. I was taken aback for about two seconds, but the alcahol was still in my system, so I quickly recovered.

"Uh, sure! Lemme just get you a ring…"

...

Boy was I an idiot.

"Mr. Cooper, we're here," my limo driver's gruff voice jostled me out of my appalling flashback. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, surprised to find myself outside Sonny's apartment. Now I had to go inside and deal with my new wife.

Oh, Shit!

A/N: So yeah, sorry this story's been mostly flashbacks so far. I know I'm creating too much suspense and you guys probably want to see Sonny and Chad finally talk about the marriage. Don't worry, that part's coming in the next chapter. And sorry about the comments if you guys are fans of Justin Bieber. I'm not much of a hater, but I just love making fun of him :) And he actually said that stuff about Miley and Taylor, so I thought I'd throw that in.

And thanks again for all the reviews. They totally made my day. :)

Oh, and if you guys could review and tell me what are some of the best channy stories on this site (that are COMPLETE), that'd be awesome. I need some inspiration.